MORE WHITE CHILDREN IN LOW-INCOME FAMILIES THAN ANY OTHER RACIAL GROUP

New York City (February 14, 2012) – By the
sheer numbers, and contrary to some common stereotypes about the
country’s poor, America has more white children living in
low-income families than any other race. More than 12.1 million
white children live in low-income families; compared to:

10.7 million Hispanic children;

6.5 million black children;

1 million Asian children;

400,000 American Indian children; and

1.3 million children of other races.

At the same time, black and Hispanic children are more likely to
live in low-income families than white children. Sixty-four percent
of black children and 63 percent of Hispanic children lived in such
families compared to 31 percent of white children. The statistics
are revealed in newly-released fact sheets from the National Center
for Children in Poverty (NCCP), based at the Mailman School of
Public Health at Columbia University.

“Poverty and low-income affects children of all races. The
notion held by some that poverty is not a white problem is simply
false,” says Vanessa Wight, PhD, demographer at NCCP.
“In addition to race, we studied a range of factors
associated with children’s experiences of economic
insecurity, including their parents’ education, employment,
and where they live.”

Some of the other statistics revealed by NCCP:

Children represent 24 percent of the overall U.S. population,
yet they comprise 34 percent of all people living in poverty.

There are more than 72 million children under age 18 in the
United States: of those, 31.9 million live in low-income families
(44% of all children); and 15.5 million live in poor families (21%
of all children). Low income ($44,700 for a family of four) is
defined by NCCP as being twice the official federal poverty level
($22,350 for a family of four).

The percentage of children in low-income families varies by
where they live: it’s highest in the South, where 48 percent
of children live in low-income families, compared to:

45 percent of children in the West;

42 percent in the Midwest; and

36 percent of children in the Northeast.

A little more than half (51 percent) of children in rural areas
live in low-income families, compared to 42 percent in urban
areas.

“Winding up in a low-income or poor family does not happen
by chance,” says Wight. “These data help us understand
who America’s poor really are, and to recommend better
policies aimed at helping them.”

One of the things NCCP recommends are strategies that help
parents succeed in the labor force, which will in turn, help their
children. “Low earning workers need higher wages but policies
such as earned income tax credits and child care assistance are
critical to supporting income growth for low-wage workers,”
says Dr. Wight. “These workers also need access to benefits
that many higher-wage earners enjoy, , such as health insurance and
paid sick leave.”

The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) is one of
the nation’s leading public policy centers and is dedicated
to promoting the economic security, health and well-being of
America’s low-income families and children. Part of Columbia
University’s Mailman School of Public Health, NCCP uses
research to inform policy and practice with the goal of ensuring
positive outcomes for the next generation.